4,000 Won Doughnuts and Double-Priced 'Limousine Carts'... "This Is Too Much" [Korean Golf Courses Cross the Line]

Weekday Green Fees Up 30.4%, Weekend Up 21.7%
Limousine Carts Introduced, Usage Fees Up to 360,000 Won
Caddie Fees Reach 170,000 Won, Number of Golfers Drops by 2.86 Million

Mr. A, who works in Seoul, was astonished. He was shocked by the price of a single twisted doughnut at B Golf Club in Yongin, Gyeonggi Province. After finishing the front nine and stopping by the halfway house for a snack, he sighed at the price tag: 4,000 won for one doughnut. Mr. A said, "I knew food and beverages at golf courses were expensive, but this is too much," expressing his dissatisfaction by adding, "I don't think I'll be coming back to this golf course."

Domestic golf courses have enjoyed a boom since 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. As golf was seen as a relatively safe outdoor sport, a large number of beginners, including so-called "Golfini" (a portmanteau of golf and beginner), flocked to the courses. When overseas travel became difficult, young people with a keen sense of fashion also turned to golf courses. Golf courses took this opportunity to sharply raise their fees. In the Seoul metropolitan area, demand was so high that booking a tee time itself became difficult.

Criticism is pouring in regarding domestic golf courses that charge expensive usage fees. This photo is not related to the article.

According to the Korea Leisure Industry Research Institute on June 20, the weekday green fee increase rates at both membership and public golf courses reached their highest levels in May 2021, at 7.5% and 19.1% year-on-year, respectively. In May 2022, the rates rose by 7.4% and 9.1%. Even in May 2025, after the COVID-19 boom ended, membership and non-member green fees increased by 0.8%, while public courses saw a slight decrease of -0.2%. However, from May 2020 to last month, the cumulative weekday green fee increase rate at public courses reached 30.4%, and 21.7% on weekends. Membership course non-member green fees also rose by 22.3% on weekdays and 18.6% on weekends.

In 2022, the government introduced a non-member system to reduce tax benefits for public golf courses with excessively high green fees. Accordingly, the government set a ceiling for public course green fees: 188,000 won on weekdays and 247,000 won on weekends. However, since the standard was applied to the "average price" rather than the "maximum price," golf courses offered cheaper rates during unpopular hours and much higher rates during peak times to balance the average. As a result, some point out that the original intent of the policy has been undermined.

The gap in green fees between membership and public golf courses, which had once narrowed, is widening again. As of May 2020, the difference was 47,600 won on weekdays and 44,000 won on weekends. By May 2022, these gaps had decreased to 35,800 won and 31,700 won, respectively, because the rate of increase at public courses was higher. However, as of May 2025, the gap has widened again to 48,300 won on weekdays and 43,200 won on weekends. As frequent hikes at public courses made membership course non-member green fees seem relatively cheap, membership courses also raised their prices in response.

Green fee increases are directly linked to golf course supply and management performance. Before the pandemic, membership courses raised prices first and public courses followed. After the pandemic, public courses have been raising prices first, with membership courses following suit.

Domestic golfers are also dissatisfied with cart fees. Although the purchase cost of an electric cart can typically be recouped within six months, the usage fees remain excessively high. In particular, since 2023, "limousine carts," which are much more expensive than the previous five-seater electric carts, have been introduced. Limousine cart usage fees range from 160,000 to 360,000 won, about double the 80,000 to 120,000 won charged for regular electric carts. Golf courses are maximizing profits through these fees.

The number of golf courses operating limousine carts has rapidly increased from 28 in 2023 to 66 in 2024 and 99 in 2025. Of these, 60 are public courses, outnumbering the 39 membership courses. By region, the Seoul metropolitan area has the most with 38, followed by Gangwon Province (17) and the Chungcheong region (15).

Seo Cheonbeom, head of the Korea Leisure Industry Research Institute, pointed out, "Considering that the purchase cost of a five-seater electric cart is about 13 million won, the current cart fees are excessive," adding, "Electric carts are a means to increase course turnover, so cart fees should be cut by half."

Domestic golfers are expressing dissatisfaction with the expensive fees at golf courses.

There are also complaints about food and beverage prices and caddie fees. Park Junghoon, a lawmaker from the People Power Party, criticized excessive pricing at a forum on "Eradicating Unfair Practices at Golf Courses" in March, stating, "In 2023, there were many golf courses with operating profit margins exceeding 60%, and some charged 140,000 won for a single sweet and sour pork dish. This is more expensive than the 90,000 won charged at the Shilla Hotel." Caddie fees, which used to be 80,000 to 100,000 won, have recently risen to 120,000 to 170,000 won, increasing the burden on weekend golfers.

There is a growing call for a general reduction in usage fees for domestic golf courses to return to normal. According to the Korea Leisure Industry Research Institute, the net increase in golf course revenue from 2020 to 2023 was about 2.4863 trillion won. Approximately 5.78 million golfers spent an additional 430,000 won per person. If usage fees are lowered to a reasonable level, it is expected that demand for overseas golf will return to the domestic market, revitalizing the domestic golf industry.